snake river unit oregon elk

[fisherman983]

going to be drawing this tag this year. anyone have any tips/advice/hints there wiling to share? . I will be going solo, no guide/ no packer. I know its some very rough country and I know it wont be an easy hunt.

 

[tttoadman]

Get in the best shape ever...not that your fat now

If you are bow hunting, I would dedicate some time to the meat care thread and familiarize yourself with the area. Make a pack out plan that would utilize some creeks along the way to cool the meat.

If you are rifle hunting, make sure you can reach out their quite a ways. I would think 500yds could be very realistic in that country. A friend of mine took a great bull at about 650 across a canyon. After many hrs, that was what he could get. He had a turret(sp) setup and made a great shot.

Good luck. I have this unit on my radar for deer at some point.

 

[fisherman983]

I can shoot a ways...im pretty solid out to about 1000, but that all depends on the wind and my ability to dope it.

 

[tipsntails7]

Get in the best shape ever...not that your fat now

If you are bow hunting, I would dedicate some time to the meat care thread and familiarize yourself with the area. Make a pack out plan that would utilize some creeks along the way to cool the meat.

If you are rifle hunting, make sure you can reach out their quite a ways. I would think 500yds could be very realistic in that country. A friend of mine took a great bull at about 650 across a canyon. After many hrs, that was what he could get. He had a turret(sp) setup and made a great shot.

Good luck. I have this unit on my radar for deer at some point.

Pretty good advice. One of the only places I've ever been where I was very worried about spoiling meat. That country can really destroy you mentally and physically as well, so prepare for that.

 

[lintond]

Bow hunted it last year. I was worried about getting too deep for fear of spoiling meat. Unfortunately I wasn't alone, so there were a lot of hunters.

Go do a camping trip in the summer. You can drive along the rim and you can see what it's all about.

 

[forky]

IF i was hunting the snake without horses I would stay away from summit ridge ,too many drop camps and people packed out the ridge.Set a camp up on hat point road and do day hunts into country most drive by on the way to trailheads.Make sure you are prepared cold temps and snow.Any elk killed in the snake you earn not many easy ones,but knowing this going in to the hunt you should have a good hunt. Best of luck to you.

 

[cp.richards31]

I know I'm late to this, but just wanted to see what traffic is like during archery season? Do you tend to see more hunters the closer you get towards the eastern rim? Do hunters stick more to the flats? Or farther north? I've never hunted the area so just trying to get some sort of game plan together, but am very familiar with the type of terrain. Steep and deep. Thanks

 

[brewtality541]

going to be drawing this tag this year. anyone have any tips/advice/hints there wiling to share? . I will be going solo, no guide/ no packer. I know its some very rough country and I know it wont be an easy hunt.

How did your hunt go? I've got the rifle elk tag this season and am trying to sort out where to go. Lots ground to cover in this unit!

 

[fisherman983]

How did your hunt go? I've got the rifle elk tag this season and am trying to sort out where to go. Lots ground to cover in this unit!

I ended up killing a 350 bull opening day. Took me 1 day to kill him and 2 full days of packing with 4 of us. Was very fortunate with weather, didn't have any snow. Freezing temps at night and 50s during the day. Sounds like the area I hunted has been hit pretty hard with pressure and there's a new drop camp outfitter working that ridge as well

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[brewtality541]

I ended up killing a 350 bull opening day. Took me 1 day to kill him and 2 full days of packing with 4 of us. Was very fortunate with weather, didn't have any snow. Freezing temps at night and 50s during the day. Sounds like the area I hunted has been hit pretty hard with pressure and there's a new drop camp outfitter working that ridge as well

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

Thanks for sharing and congrats on the nice bull!

Mind sharing any location info or general area? It's been a little daunting trying to find a starting point. I've been looking into Freezeout TH and Warnock, which I know is popular when snow allows, but there are just so many options!

Fires have hit that unit hard too but that can be good and bad. I'm trying to work off of some more recent imagery to get a feel for areas that still have timber pockets.

How far did you have to drop to take your shot? Curious if that was the main factor for the packout time or if you were just hunting pretty far from the TH.

Thanks again! I'm excited to spend some quality time in that country this fall.

 

[fisherman983]

Thanks for sharing and congrats on the nice bull!

Mind sharing any location info or general area? It's been a little daunting trying to find a starting point. I've been looking into Freezeout TH and Warnock, which I know is popular when snow allows, but there are just so many options!

Fires have hit that unit hard too but that can be good and bad. I'm trying to work off of some more recent imagery to get a feel for areas that still have timber pockets.

How far did you have to drop to take your shot? Curious if that was the main factor for the packout time or if you were just hunting pretty far from the TH.

Thanks again! I'm excited to spend some quality time in that country this fall.

Have you been to the unit yet? If you haven't i suggest a trip. Its daunting. I was off if haas ridge. I think the recent fires burned the area I was hunting.
I was 7 miles out the trail from where camp was and my bull was in the bottom, literally. Over 2k feet down. Don't know the exact elevation drop. Hiked all the way down the ridge I was on, shot him then dropped the few hundred feet down to the creek bottom, crossed and hiked up 100 yds to cape and quarter.
I made 2 scout trips before the hunt. Be prepared for snow, have a wood stove. Have backup camp sites. Bring chains. Be prepared to be very cold and very miserable. Bring dumb friends that won't quit on you.
By the time it was all over, I had over 100 miles on my boots and over 30k ft of elevation gained and lost.

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

 

[brewtality541]

Have you been to the unit yet? If you haven't i suggest a trip. Its daunting. I was off if haas ridge. I think the recent fires burned the area I was hunting.
I was 7 miles out the trail from where camp was and my bull was in the bottom, literally. Over 2k feet down. Don't know the exact elevation drop. Hiked all the way down the ridge I was on, shot him then dropped the few hundred feet down to the creek bottom, crossed and hiked up 100 yds to cape and quarter.
I made 2 scout trips before the hunt. Be prepared for snow, have a wood stove. Have backup camp sites. Bring chains. Be prepared to be very cold and very miserable. Bring dumb friends that won't quit on you.
By the time it was all over, I had over 100 miles on my boots and over 30k ft of elevation gained and lost.

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

Sounds like you got a good bull and a hell of story out of it! Thanks for the generosity on the info.

That is one of the areas I was considering, partially because it was only 2k to the bottom vs 4k...

I'll try to scout it at least once. Its a 7 hour drive so a little out of the way for a scout trip but might make a bird hunt out of it in October.

Thanks again. I'll report back!